Investors may lose money unless a legal loophole is closed, a property expert says. The loophole allows property developers to exercise a "sunset clause" in property purchase agreements where the agreement is entered before the propertyâ€™s construction has been completed.26-08-2013 more >>

New Zealand's rate of cash sales does not indicate any increasing presence of foreign buyers in the market, Property IQ says. The firm of property analysts said it wanted to tackle the question of how many buyers were from overseas, in response to anecdotal information about people paying over the odds, particularly for Auckland property.21-08-2013 more >>

The Reserve Bank says that from October 1 banks will not be allowed to write more than 10% of their loans above the 80% LVR mark. Reserve Bank Governor Graeme Wheeler today announced that from 1 October banks will be subject to restrictions on high loan-to-value ratio (LVR) housing mortgage loans.20-08-2013 more >>

Kiwibank says it will give priority to first-home buyers with small deposits, over investors in the same position. Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler announced today that from October 1, banks will only be able to have 10% of their lending to borrowers with equity of less than 20%.20-08-2013 more >>

Kiwibank is offering to tell Christchurch buyers how well their homes use energy. It is offering free â€œenergy auditsâ€ for people who take out new Kiwibank home loans.Canterbury Growth General Manager Tracey Berry said the bank was working with Community Energy Action to offer the service as a contribution to the rebuild in Canterbury after the earthquakes.19-08-2013 more >>

Concerns about rising house prices are exaggerated, says Property IQ spokesman Jonno Ingerson. He spoke at the Bankers Association yesterday, where he said price growth of 13% year-on-year in Auckland was muchless than had been seen in previous property booms.16-08-2013 more >>

A new property marketing tool is being pitched at vendors who want to control who can see their listings. Open2view.comâ€™s â€œprivate viewingâ€ option allows agents and vendors to use all the normal services but provides extra discretion for those who want to control who can â€“ and cannot â€“ see their listing.15-08-2013 more >>

First-home buyers are scrambling to get in before LVR restrictions kick in, one broker says. It is believed that the Reserve Bank will introduce a â€œspeed limitâ€ on the amount of low-deposit lending banks do, probably at the end of September.13-08-2013 more >>

More than half of people expect house prices to continue to rise over the next year, a new survey shows. The ASB Housing Confidence Survey reports that a net 56% of respondents expected prices to rise over the next 12 months.12-08-2013 more >>

First-home buyers are moving quickly to secure properties before loan-to-value restrictions kick in, the Real Estate Institute says. Its latest data shows that there were 6777 residential property sales in July, up 14.7% on the same time last year and more than 10% higher than in June.12-08-2013 more >>

Higher-income borrowers will be able to access the KiwiSaver subsidy and Welcome Home Loans under changes announced today by the Government â€“ but they will have to stump up more of a deposit.11-08-2013 more >>

Property prices continued to rise last month, QV statistics show, but there are some signs that the pace may be slowing â€“ possibly because banks are preparing for loan-to-value restrictions.08-08-2013 more >>